Highly survivable urban utility vehicle (HSUUV)

Abstract

The Highly Survivable Urban Utility Vehicle (HSUUV) provides a novel way to balance the concerns of armor, mobility and cost. Prior art distributes armor to protect all areas of the vehicle evenly, thereby distributing the maximum armor weight capacity evenly. The HSUUV provides armored protection in levels, which vary depending on the location of the armor and that location's ballistic threat. Entrance to the HSUUV is located in location(s) other than the traditional side door(s) so as to provide additional armored protection in the area receiving the greatest ballistic threat. Using the HSUUV, soldiers can safely and quickly enter areas that they otherwise would have had to fight and sustain casualties to enter. The vehicle will give United States forces an unprecedented amount of flexibility, allowing for better strategic and tactical decisions.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A wheeled armored vehicle system, comprising:
 a wheeled vehicle having a cab, the cab having two sides, a top, a front, a rear, and a bottom, the cab being a central portion of the vehicle for substantially surrounding one or more passengers; 
 relatively thick armor sufficient to withstand assault with one or more specific types of munitions disposed on select areas of the vehicle including at least portions of the two sides of the cab; and 
 relatively thin armor insufficient to withstand assault with the specific types of munitions disposed on select areas of the vehicle including select areas of the cab; and 
 wherein the relatively thick armor comprises a layer of a synthetic fiber, a layer of aluminum, a layer of rolled homogenous armor, and a layer of explosive reactive armor. 
 
     
     
       2. The wheeled armored vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein a surface of the layer of synthetic fiber immediately contacts a first surface of the layer of aluminum, a second surface of the layer of aluminum immediately contacts a first surface of the layer of rolled homogenous armor, and a second surface of the layer of rolled homogenous armor immediately contacts a surface of the layer of explosive reactive armor. 
     
     
       3. A wheeled armored vehicle system, comprising:
 a wheeled vehicle having a cab, the cab having two sides, the cab being a central portion of the vehicle for substantially surrounding one or more passengers; 
 relatively thick armor sufficient to withstand assault with one or more specific types of munitions disposed on select areas of the vehicle including at least portions of the two sides of the cab; and 
 relatively thin armor insufficient to withstand assault with the specific types of munitions disposed on select areas of the vehicle including one or more other areas of the cab, 
 wherein the relatively thick armor is of sufficient weight that if relatively thick armor were disposed on the other areas of the cab, the wheeled vehicle would exceed its maximum weight and be rendered not useful. 
 
     
     
       4. The wheeled armored vehicle of  claim 3 , wherein the specific types of munitions include one or more armor piercing rounds. 
     
     
       5. The wheeled armored vehicle of  claim 3 , wherein the specific types of munitions include an improvised explosive device. 
     
     
       6. The wheeled armored vehicle of  claim 3 , wherein the specific types of munitions include one or more rocket propelled grenades.